I am a stay at home mom and I am always looking for the best deals for my family. However, when I buy things I not only look for the best bang for my buck, I am also looking for quality items. So I’ve complied a list of the top ten items you don’t have to break bank when buying. These are the top 10 items you should always buy at the dollar store because chances are you will find the best deal there.
10 Great Items to Buy at The Dollar Store
1.Cards– Birthday,Wedding, Anniversary, you name it! Sometimes you can even get them 2 for $1! These are also really nice cards! I have found some great thank you card and note card sets there as well. Perfect for when you want to send a quick note to a friend the old fashioned way.
2.Crafting supplies: Dollar Tree has some great crafting supplies that you can use to make adorable crafts and gifts. There are so many items that will help you reach your inner artist.
3.Pregnancy Test: Yup, you heard it! Pregnancy Test. I know some will still get the $7-$13 tests but I have to say the quality is excellent. I have never paid full price on these (and as you can see, Ive bought quite a few 🙂 They are not early pregnancy but they definitely let you know if there is a bun in the oven without breaking the bank. (Save the money for diapers)
4.Gift Bags: They carry a beautiful assortment of bags that are no different than those you would find at leading retail stores. The only difference, they’re a 1! Plus you can get a great deal on Tissue paper too!
5.School Supplies: They carry an great assortment of Pens, Pencils, note books, erasers, glue and much more. The price on these won’t beat the deals you’ll find when back to school prices are up but during the year you will definitely find some unbeatable deals. Teachers can find some great Classroom decoration projects at Dollar tree as well including Educational Posters, decorations and more!
7. Mailing Supplies: You can get bubble envelopes for a dollar and depending on the size you can get a few. This is definitely a great deal for those of you that don’t need many and really don’t want to spend a lot of money sending stuff.
8.Shaving cream and some toiletries: You can find some great items here like Shaving cream and off brand shampoo. I would just check the made in label. I have found some great products made in the USA that have worked great! I would just watch for items that are made in other countries just because of some of the standards of practice…but that’s just me.
9.Coloring Books and Educational Books: My Kids LOVE to color and being a homeschooling mom we love Educational Workbooks. You will find an Incredible selection at Dollar Trees of Education series and readiness books that are a must for any scholar. Buying some of the same books at another store will run you as much as $4.99 so the $1 price tag is well worth it!
10. Holiday decorations: You can find holiday decorations for every holiday out there and honestly I always buy my helium balloons there. In the past few years they’ve had a great selection of balloons to meet everyone of my little’s parties. All Other Holidays will have a great selection as well with great window clings, posters and more
Things you should skip:
Paper Products: The quantity + quality are really not worth it. Once in a while you will find a good price on party supplies like table cloths and beverage napkins.
Food: In my opinions I would just be careful of the the manufacturing country. That is something we are very cautious with in our home.
Toys: They are good for quick prizes but you get what you pay for and chances are they won’t last long. Plus I’ve read some studies where some of the lower end toys might have higher levels of lead in them so proceed with caution.
Batteries: The price might sound nice but they really don’t last too long.
In the end, there are a lot of great other products you can find at Dollar Stores. It’s a matter of what your local one carries. Either way, it’s great to stop in and see what items you can get that won’t break bank and make life easier and cheaper 🙂
What great buys have you found when at a Dollar store?
Comments & Reviews
I forgot that you can get cards there! Sure beats paying $3-6 at other stores!
This is a really great list of items! I always buy my greeting cards at the dollar store and tons of holiday decorations! Not only are they cheap, but a lot of them are really pretty! And I couldn’t agree more about the batteries…they may be cheap, but as far my experience with them, you get what you pay for. They don’t last long at all. Thank you for sharing this. I really enjoyed reading it!
I love the $$ store for cheap extras for the nieces & nephews (beach toys, star stickers, etc), giftwrap supplies, and decor knicknacks. One time, I found a pair of polarized sunglasses that were the PERFECT shape for my oddball head!
I work in a resturaunt so I go through pens, hair ties and lighters like you wouldn’t believe. If u didn’t buy them from the dollar tree I would be broke!
Great post sharing this! I love the workbooks and flash cards they have there and also their school section in general. Get place to stock up on things like construction paper and such when back to school sales aren’t going on .
I love getting gift bags at the dollar story, but haven’t thought about most of the other items on your list. Thanks!
Thanks for the note on the educational materials, I haven’t looked for those yet. LOVE the dollar store! I already knew about the pregnancy tests, though it is a little disconcerting having to ask for them at the counter (apparently $1 is too much and this is the number one stolen item!)
My mom was a SAHM and often took me shopping at the dollar store. Those are some really fond memories I haven’t shooed at the dollar store in years, mostly because I’m too busy working that I mostly shop online, but now that I have a little one of my own I can see baths on sopping a bit more.
So useful! I’m glad that I took the time to read this! I love saving money (I mean, who doesn’t?) :p
The Dollar store also have gift certificates if you are on your way to a birthday party and forgot to get a gift. also I think they have pretty cheap gum.
thanks for the tips, I always buy my cards and gift bags from the dollar store! It drives me crazy to see people spend 3-5 dollars on bags that people are just going to trash.
I used to manage a Dollar Tree and couldn’t agree more! I do like the paper plates though! I also like to get wash cloths to use as dust rags!
Nice post! I liked that you included things to avoid too. I love the dollar store for decor and things like gift bags and tissue paper. Those few items would easily cost $-3-$7 at a general chain store! I love the holiday decorations too! They may not last forever but they’re $1- who cares!
We do quite a bit of shopping at dollar tree! I always find something I can’t live without. My husband and I even got a bunch of stuff for our wedding reception there!
I get the exact same things at the dollar store! NO reason to pay $5 for ONE toothbrush!! and I love the mailer supplies!!
I love this post. I never thought of buying at a dollar store. I will have to try it.
I love dollar stores. But my advice about coloring pages is google them and print them out. Can’t beat free! Also, you can probably find worksheets the same way. I’m a preschool teacher and often find free resources online, I’m sure you kind find something similar for homeschooling so you don’t have to spend money on workbooks from the stores.
I love this post. So useful!
I love this! I’m always looking for easy, good ways to try to save a little bit here and there. Thanks for doing all the work for me!
For some reason I have never really shopped at the dollar store, though I’m always trying to save money as well. But I should start.
I always buy birthday cards at the dollar store… paying $4 for a card that will probably get tossed … not doing it.
I have seriously bought all my pregnancy tests at the Dollar Store. I can’t drop $7/test. That’s so expensive!
With four kids and the fifth on the way I’m always looking for great deals on stuff. I’m going to have to check out The Dollar Store now.
This is great. Who doesn’t love a good deal? I always buy most of the things mentioned at the Dollar Store or Dollar Tree.
I love this!!! I use dollar stores all the time. There is no reason to pay 8x more for something that is the same quality! Pregnancy tests are sooo expensive at any other store!
Thanks for these tips! My husband loves it when I shop at the dollar store because that means we’re saving some money!
We have a store called Dollar Daze here that sells lots of scrapbooking items, name brand. I love it, and last time I was there, I cleaned out that whole section 🙂 I have bought candy there, but it’s always name brand stuff, (Hersheys, Nestle, etc)
I haven’t really shopped at the dollar store much, but I will keep in mind about their school supplies. This will be helpful when my kids start going to school.
I like to freeze meals ahead, and the dollar store is the best place to buy foil pans for freezing in.
The educational books are the best! Well, maybe not the best, but considering I bought my daughter one book on animals, another on plants, another on cars and sesame street for fun and spent $4….that’s a deal! I also buy stickers there. You can find cheaper books of generic stickers at other stores, but the dollar store often has popular character stickers that are cheaper per pack.
I absolutely agree on the holiday decorations and gift bags! We go there for those items all the time. I do also get toys from time to time, I have a 2 yr old and dollar store toys make great workhorses specially when we travel by plane.
I get Pears bar soap there. It is around four dollars a bar at a drug store. I also get Udderly Smooth hand cream.
Great post. I do quiet a bit of shopping at the dollar store. Ive tried the paper products, but like you stated theyre are far less supieror to other brands for just a dollar or so more. Thanks for the post!!
I’m having a baby shower in a couple weeks and went to the dollar store forideas on prizes. they have betty Crocker kitchen supplies and they’re very great quality!
Buying gift bags and greeting cards at the dollar store is a great idea! They can be so expensive on top of the cost of a gift. I have bought kitchen utensils at the dollar store and it was NOT worth it. They were so flimsy and broke easily. I stick to items where the quality doesn’t matter.
I love the educational/teaching materials at Dollar Tree. I recently bought two sets of sight words for my son. They are great and durable. We also put up the alphabet in his room to review every night. Both kids have had their rooms partly decorated with the fun (and easy) wall decals. They have some really cute wall decals for kids!
Yes! I forgot to add wall decals! I’ve used many of their wall decals in the past. They are very well made and for a $ 1 you get an awesome product that really last!
This is a great post! I was just telling my husband that I thought it would be best if we started looking around to find some better deals on some of the products we use. I especially love the tip about the gift bags. Those things are expensive! Thanks for the wonderful post!